What To Look For In Shopping For Tech Support

    "Tech Support'' seems unique to computers. What other consumer item requires a phone number you can call for help?
   Oh, I know plenty of purchases are backed by a ``customer service' phone number for emergencies. But with personal computers those "emergencies'' are frequent, expected events. And the person at the other end of the line isn't merely some friendly voice but a trained technical professional. Or at least ought to be.    The complexity and unreliability of computers makes tech support critical. You should always know how much tech support you're getting with any software or hardware you consider.
   How many days a week and hours a day is the support available? Is that merely recorded answers to frequent questions or is it real, live advisers? How long will you wait on hold? Two or three minutes is reasonable. Is the number toll-free or do you pay? How helpful are the answers? Seek out companies with a central computer database so that any repeat calls automatically bring up the history of your problem. Does the company use an interactive program such as pcAnywhere or LapLink that can reach right into your computer, through the Internet or a direct phone connection, to see what's wrong? How many times or months can you call for help before you must pay $2 a minute, $25 per incident, or $100 or more per year for answers?
   Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Micron are known for above-average support. Microsoft is infamous, in my experience, for poor tech support to individuals. I think that's probably because it hasn't had to compete on support and has largely pushed the job off on the companies that make computers.
   You can help the tech support folks get the right answer faster if you're prepared. Before you call, write down just what led up to the problem, as well as any on-screen messages, and a thorough description of your hardware and software: versions, makers, and so on. If you have a Windows PC, they'll also want printouts of what's in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WINDOWS.INI and SYSTEM.INI files.
   You'll probably get through sooner if you call during lunch or dinner hours or, if support runs around the clock, in the middle of the night. The rush hours for tech support, as you'd expect, are when people get to work and when they get home.    If the traffic is just too much, or the tech support is closed when you need answers, don't give up. There are other ways to get answers. Most computer companies will accept faxed problem descriptions -- make sure to include those details I mentioned above -- and will fax or call you back with a reply within hours or days. You should find the fax number in the manual.
   Many companies also have a ``Fax On Demand'' facility that lets you call and press voice-mail commands to ask for a list of stored fact sheets. After you choose the relevant fact sheets from that list, you call again and, pressing the right numeric codes, order the fact sheet faxed to you immediately. This should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
   And then there are some firms that earn their living solely from tech support calls, charging you $2.50 a minute or more for telephone help with common hardware and software puzzles. There are computer clubs and user groups where the advice is free, though sometimes inexpert and inconvenient. And, of course, you can take your computer into a repair shop and ask for help there, though this may cost $70 an hour or more.
   However, if your computer is working well enough to reach the Internet, or you have a second computer with Net access, there are lots of ways to get help online.
   Your hardware or software company almost certainly has a World Wide Web page and an e-mail address. This Web page probably has a "FAQs'' (Frequently Asked Questions) area with helpful answers.
   The Web page may also have a searchable ``knowledge base'' of technical notes, papers and suggestions. Try there for help. This can be particularly useful because the answers may be accompanied by buttons you click to get software download ``patches'' to immediately unstick your system. Without that downloading, you might have to wait for a disk by mail.
   The Web page may have an e-mail submission form. Or you may need to find the e-mail address and send your missive there. If you can't find the address, try sending an e-mail to info@company.com -- taking the "company'' part from whatever the Web page address is - or support@company.com. These are common addresses. You could see an e-mailed answer within minutes or, at worst case, a day or so. If not, write again and press for a quick response. Companies are pushing us to use the Internet instead of the phone because it costs them a lot less. The least they can do is provide solid service on the Net.    Some Web sites include a "chat'' help area for instant help responses. A few firms offer mailing list services at their Web sites. Sign up and you'll get notices of program bug fixes and updates, though you'll probably have to put up with some sales offers as well.
   Finally you may find a ``discussion'' forum where you can post questions and later read responses from other users. They can know more than the tech experts on staff, or may simply include a few people who have experienced your specific problem.
   But you needn't depend only on the particular company's Net service. There are lots of others, and many of them are free.
   For a start, the UseNet newsgroups have a huge variety of discussion groups with experts and amateurs trading tips and answering questions. Use your Newsgroup reader, which for many people nowadays is built right into the Web browser. Newsgroups are free. Start with a general one such as alt.windows95, but look also for specific newsgroups for your computer, program or peripheral. If you don't have UseNet access, you can get at its previously posted messages through the Web service DejaNews (www.dejanews.com).
   Then there are companies related to what you're doing. Even if it isn't strictly an operating system problem, you might look to Microsoft and its huge knowledge base or Apple, which naturally stacks lots of Mac answers at its site. Some of the technical publishers have such information too: try ZD Net's Healthy PC site (www.healthypc.com), CMP (www.cmpnet.com) and IDG (www.idg.net).
   The Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.com) uses Web and e-mail to help. You submit a question and get a reply within about 48 hours. For free. Ask-A-Tech (www.ask-a-tech.org) works the same way, and they offer a freely downloadable year 2000 bug testing program.
   Want help faster? Pay America's Help Desk (www.americashelpdesk.com) and you could get an e-mailed reply within two, six or 12 hours. A six-hour turnaround, for example, costs $25. BugNet (www.bugnet.com) charges $65 per year for access to news of bugs and their solutions. Intel's AnswerExpress (www.answerexpress.com) offers support through a special program and Internet connection; $40 buys you three months of support, but there's a free sample available at the Web site.
   In general, then, you can get free and wonderful advice on the Net. Paying doesn't buy better advice, it just gets you answers sooner.

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